Web holder cam for knitting machines



l Hume 5, 11923..

, MLSZQM A. GAGN WEB HOLDER CAM FOR'KNITTING MACHIES Filed '7 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a8 if@ Wam?,

Patented ,Enne 5, 1192330 JNT@ STT AUGUSTIN GGN, 03F CENTRAL FALLS, EGDE ESL.

WEB HOLDER CAM FOR KNXTTING CEINES.

Application led May 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, AUGUSTIN GAGN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Central Falls, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Web-Holder Cams for Knitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to knitting machines and more particularly, though not exclusively, to latch needle machines of the general type disclosed in the atent to Hemphill No. 933,443, patented eptember 7 1909. i

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings li have shown merely for lllustrative purposes a knitting organization embodying this invention wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the knitting head of the machine with certain parts removed to more clearly illustrate the features of the invention E Fig. 2 1s a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken' substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and illustrates the sinkers or web holders, the sinker advancing cams and the sinker retracting cam, all occupying their proper positions for circular knitting;

Fig. 4 is a development of the needles and knitting cams, the latter operating upon the needle so as to produce the usual knitting wave.

ln the drawings 1 represents the needle cylinder having the usual needle grooves formed in its periphery and within which are mounted needles 2. Supported upon said needle cylinder is a web holder or sinker ring 3 provided with the usual radial grooves 4 formed in its upper surface to contain or properl guide the sinkers or web holders 5, sai herein shown asv embodyin the features of the web holders' disclosed 1n the Hemphill Patent No. 933,443 patented September 7, 1909. 1t is, however, distinctly to be un` derstood that the terms web holders and sinkers as herein used are interchangeable web holders being l 1920. Serial Elo. 379,437.

and are not to be considered as in any sense limiting the invention to the use of instruments capable merely of holding the web from being elevated durin the knitting operation nor to the type of lnstruments intended solely for-the purpose of sinking the ,l

yarn between the needles although the socalled web ,holders are more vitally concerned in the present application than are the sinkers, so-called.

The web holder ring 3 is'secured directly to the needle carrier or cylinder 1 in the present example so as to revolve with said cylinder, thus maintaining the web holders 5 in proper alientwlth the needles 2. The web holders may be and herein are advanced by the usual op' sed van'cing cams 6 and 7 arranged to onction said web holders durin the oscillatory movements of said Iweb ho der carrier in reci rocating knitting, the cam 6 being preferab y the advancing cam for' functioning said web holders during rotary knitting. 1t is' often' desirable to e'ect a shoggmg movement of said cams 3 and 7 and hence the usual web holder cam ring 8 is arranged to set down over the rim of the ring 3 in rotatable relation therewith whereon it is maintained by suitable clam ing devices such as angles 9, oney arm of w ich-is secured to the outer rim of the cam ring 8 while the other arm -10 travels in a suitable peripheral groove 11 formed in said ring 3.

The cams 6 and 7 are mounted upon the ring 8 so as to engage the outer sides of the web holder butts 12 and at certain times in the operation of the machine to advance the web holders to the web holding positions shown in Fig. 3.

The ring 8 .is arranged normally to remain substantially stationary durin the operations of the needle cylinder an this by means such as stop-screws 13 and 14 adapted to engage opposite -sides of the shank 15 herein of the latch ring 16, only a portion of which is illustrated in the drawings, said latch ring being pivotally mounted between ears 17, 17 of a suitable stand such as is common to the construction embodied inthe Hemphill Patent Nov 933,443. Ordinarily the adjusting members 13 and 14 are 'arranged far enough apart to allow a limited shogging or oscillatory movement of the ring 8 during reciprocating knitting and for the purpose of properly aligning the advancing cams 6 and 7 with the knitting cams A (see Fig. 4) and also with the yarn4 feeding devices.

Heretofore 1t has been customary to mount the retracting cam or cams for said web holders upon the same ring that supports and carries the advancing cams 6 and 7 but in the present example a single retracting cam 18 has been provided to cooperate alternately with the cams 6 and 7 duringA reciprocating knitting, said cam 18 being preferably short' so as to provide a very short knitting wave in the web holders whereby the number of loops or sinker wales that are unrestrained during the raising of the needles following the casting off of the loops will 'be very small and in consequence the web will not be allowed to Work up on the needles. .To enable the cam 18 to move independently ofthe advancing cams said cam 18 is mounted upon an independent ring 19 herein designated as an inner ring as distanguished from the outer ring'8.- The ring 19 is arranged to substantially t the inner periphery 20 of said outer ring and is thereby properly positioned centrally of the knitting head. Said inner ring 19 coni stitutes a continuation, as it were, of the upper webholder overlying portion 21 of said outer ring'8.

'1 The outer edge of. the inner ring 19 is annularly recessed at 22 to receive the upper ends of the butts 12 of said web holders and to engage the inner edges jof said butts, said butt engaging surfacel constituting means for maintaining said butts in4 their proper inactive positions when not engaged by the retractingcam .1 8, Said latter cam.

being inserted within a suitable recess formed in theunder side of said inner vring in alignment with the portion of said ring which engages. the inner edges of saidbutts 12. The shogging movement of the outer ring 8 is produced by friction between the web holder butts 12 and the cams 6 and 7 during -alternate movements of the needle carrier and web holders, ,such \lmovements beingl limited, as ypreviously described, by the stops 13 and 14. The cam 18 is also subjected to a similarV shogging action due to the friction between the butts of said. holders and said cam during alternate movements of the web holdersand in order to prevent an overthrow of said cam during such alternate movements Tmeans are provided for limiting relative movement be-` tween said inner ring and said outer ring,

4said means herein consisting of a plate 23 support in part upon the upper surface of# the lring 8 and in part upon the portions of the web holders in front of the butts 12 thus providing a smooth bearing surface upon which said ring is adapted t0 oscillate. The

positions a knitting wave similar to thel wave 29 in Fig. 3 will be produced whereby the upper nib 30 of the web holder will be withdrawn' from between the needles 2 during the casting oil of the old loop from the said needles and the measuring of the yarn,

over the lower nibs '31 of said web holders.

prior to the formation of the new loop by the knitting instruments. With this Aar# rangement of cams orvoperating said web',

holders the period of time in which the web will be unengaged or unrestrained by the' l upper nib of the web holders will .be very short and will take place at only two pointsin the knitting waves producedby the series of needles, -which points coincide with the loop' shedding stages of knitting indicated at a and b in full and -dotted lines respectively in Fig. 4, said points also being indicated'in Fig. 3 at 29 in full lines and at 29' in` dotted lines, the positions of said cam 18 being also 'shown in full and dotted lines res ectively in said figure.

- s a result 'of the restricting ofthe knitting wave of (said web holders 'as described the elevating and working up of the web "upon the needles so common to knitting machines of the class described, will be entirely' prevented because of the fact thatv the web holders are not retracted until immediately prior to theloop shedding and are then returned to their web holding' positions immediately following said loop shedding instead' of being retracted at one of said web holder advancing cams and in so remaining until the other 'advancing cam ispassed thereby leaving saidfweb unguarded or unrestrained during the upward trend of the needles at the incline 32 in Fig. 4. In other Words the wave producedy by the web holder cams will be localized at the casting oi points.

It should beclearly-and distinctly understood that the invention is not limited. to use with the particular type of machine shown wherein the needle carrier is of cylindrical form and rotates and oscillates relatively to the knitting cams and sinker or web holder operating cams. Itmaydalso be. l

menace applied` to machines in which the needle carrier or cylinder remains stationary and the knitting and web holder cams are revolved, and while certain constructions and arrangements of parts incidental to the present disclosure have been discussed in detail and certain specific terms have been employcd. in describing the same, yet it is to be understood that such are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not .for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims:

Claims.

l. ln circular knitting mechanism employing circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities ada ted to over' lie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ring-like part including vrelatively circumferentially movable inner and outer curved members, together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, and advancing and retracting cams carried by said curved members respectively to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance and retract the same.

2. lin circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web

holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter, and said bed ring, said cap ringlike part including relatively circumferen- 'tlally movable inner and outer circularly curved members together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, and advancing and retracting cams respectively carried by said circularly curved members to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities toadva'nce and retract the same.

3. In circular knitting mechanism elnploying a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ring-like part including relatively circumferentially movable inner and outer complete rings together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, and advancing and retracting cams respectively carried by said rings to 'act upon said entire series ofy instrumentalities to advance and retract the same.

4. lnI circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and saidv bed ring said cap ringlike part including relatively circumferentially movable inner and outward curved members together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, a retracting cam carried by of instrumentalities to advance and retract Vthe same.

5. In circular, knitting' mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ringlike part including relatively circumferentially movable, inner and outer, complete A rings, together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, a retracting cam carried by one of said complete rings, and advancing cam means carried by the other complete ring, thereby to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance and retract the same.

6. ln circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ringlike part including relatively circumferentially movablel inner and outerrings together providing'a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, a retracting cam carried by one of said rings, anda pair of advancing cams carried by the other ring at opposite sides of said ref` tracting cam, said cams acting upon the said entire series of instrumentalities to advance and retract the same.

7. In circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ring-like part including relatively circumferentially movable inner and outer curved members t0- gether providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities, said inner member having a re'tracting cam, and said outer member having advancing -cam means, thereby to act upon said entire iso ring having a retracting cam and said outer ring having advancing cam means, thereby to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance and retract the same.

5 9. In circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for saidinstrumentalities adapted to overlie the l latter and said bed ring, said cap ring-like part including an inner curved member having a retracting cam for all of said instrumentalities, and alsov including an outer curved member having a pair of advancing l cams for all said instrumentalities, said .curved members having relative circumferf ential movement..

10. In circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series yof sinkers, web holders or likeinstrulrlentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ringlike part including inner and outer rings together roviding agroove fol' the receptionof the entire series of said'instrumentaliti'es, and advancing and retracting cam means respectively carried bysaid rings to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance and retract the same, both of said rings being ,.circumferentially movable.

11. In circular knitting mechanism employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like instrumentalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a ycap ring-like 4part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latterand said bed ring, said .cap ringlike part yincluding inner and outer rings together providing a groove for the reception 40 of the entire seriesAof-said instrumentalities, and advancing andretracting cam means respectively carried by said rings to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance 'and retract the same, said rings bein relatively circumferentiall movable, .an

limiting means to limit sai relative circumferential movement.

12. 'In circular' knitting mechanismemplaying a circular series of sinkers, web. holders orflike instrumentalities and a bedv ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like'part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and'said bed ring, said cap ringlike part' including inner Land outer rings together providing'` a groove for'the reception of the entirefseiie of saidi instrumen.- talities, and advancing and retracting cams respectively carried by said rings to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to ad-` vance and retract the same,| each of said rings having capacity for sho'gging movement independently 'of the other.

13. In circular knitting' mechanism employing -a .circular series of' sinkers, vweb holders or like instrumentalities, a needle cylinder and a bed ring secured to the upper end of said needle cylinder and receiving said instrumentalities, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalitiesl adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said lcap ringlike part including relatively circumferentially movable inner and outer rings together providing a groove for the reception of the entire series of said instrumentalities and advancing and retracting cams carrie by said rings to act upon said entire series of instrumentalities to advance andretract l thesame.

151. Incircular knitting mechanism 'employing a circular series of sinkers, web holders or like'instrum'entalities and a bed ring receiving the same, a cap ring-like part for said instrumentalities adapted to overlie the latter and said bed ring, said cap ringlike part including .two cam rings 8, 19 having interengaging formations 2 3, .2 5, 26 permitting lost motion between said rings, a retracting cam 18 carried'by the inner ring and two advancing cams 6, 7 carried by the outer ring,"l whereby all of said instrumentahtles are acted upon by said cams.

In testimony whereof, I have signed myv name to this specification.`

i AUGUSTIN GAGN. 

